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Consent agreement given final approval:

Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement regarding the following: Alaska Healthcare Network, Inc. The Commission vote to finalize the consent agreement was 5-0, with Commissioners Orson Swindle and Thomas B. Leary issuing a separate statement dissenting as to a structural component of the relief prescribed by the Decision and Order. Chairman Robert Pitofsky and Commissioners Sheila F. Anthony and Mozelle W. Thompson issued a separate statement supporting the structural relief provisions in the order. (FTC File No. 991-0103; staff contacts are Richard A. Feinstein and Paul J. Nolan 202-326-3688 or 202-326-2770; see press release dated September 20, 2000.)

Commission extension of time period:

The FTC has approved another extension of a time period in the following matter: Baxter International, Inc. Under the order in Docket No. C-3726, which concerned Baxter's acquisition of Immuno International AG, Baxter was required to contract manufacture the Autoplex Factor VIII Inhibitor Treatments for NABI (the acquiring company) for a period not to exceed three years from the date the company's divestiture application was approved, unless extended by the FTC. The divestiture approval was granted on May 8, 1997, and completed on May 16, 1997. The Commission's approval in the current matter, which was requested by the trustee overseeing the divestiture process, extends by 12 months the time that NABI has to obtain all FDA approvals to manufacture Baxter's Factor VIII Inhibitor Treatments. The Commission previously granted an initial 12 month extension on May 5, 2000.

The Commission vote to approve the additional time period extension was 5-0. (FTC Docket No. C-3726; staff contact is Joseph Eckhaus, 202-326-2665; see press releases dated December 19, 1996; May 9, 2000)

Release of Commission report:

The Commission, with the concurrence of the Assistant Attorney General, has authorized the release of: The Twenty-third Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Premerger Notification Program. The report summarizes Commission and Department of Justice actions conducted under the HSR Act in Fiscal Year 2000, noting that 4,926 premerger filings were received - a record high that was 198 more than the previous record of 4,728 in FY98, and a 222.1 percent increase over the 1,529 received in 1991. It goes on to describe the HSR Act, and provides a historical overview of how it has been implemented since being enacted in the late 1970s. FY2000 developments relating to compliance with the Premerger Notification Rules and Procedures are then presented, followed by a discussion of both Department of Justice and FTC merger enforcement activities during the year. Finally, the report includes a summary of the ongoing reassessment of the effects of the Premerger Notification Program. Appendices provide a summary of transactions for Fiscal Years 1991-2000 and the number of transactions reported as filings by month during this time. A statistical table is also included presenting data profiling HSR filings and enforcement interest during FY2000.

The Commission vote to issue the report was 5-0. (File No. P950101; staff contact is Marian Bruno, 202-326-2846.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the online . MEDIA CONTACT:

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